maria, maria.... you remind me of the west side story....

"to become something great you have to risk becoming nothing at all. it is only when you die to the need to become or be recognized that you are finally free to do great and amazing things. in the beginning, great and amazing things are generally considered by the mind to be silly, stupid or ridiculous. die to your desires to achieve, become and fit in. cut free from the norm and embrace the absurd. there is a fine line between genius and insanity, let yourself go so you can find that line within yourself. measure your success by how much you let yourself go and have fun. don't measure your success by what the world tells you to do.embrace your own unique quirkiness. set your imagination free. let go of the need to become and embrace the need to just be yourself." -Mastin Kipp @ the Daily Love.  he could not have said it any better.  honestly, i feel like i am finally doing this.  not 100%. but baby steps. i am learning that by going out of the "norm"- i am doing more, if you will.  and i definitely have realized this lately.  how, you ask? i will tell you.  this past weekend i finally got a job! yay! and actually, i'll have you know it is a job that i never thought i would ever do... ever.  i've been approached by this company one time too many and i always thought, why in god's name would they approach me? i don't fit their "criteria".  there i went, putting myself down.  (why did i do that? geez. still learning, folks.) anyway, i was searching away around 2am on friday night, and i found a posting that stood out to me. it just screamed "perfect job"-- basically what i need right now.  the job description is this: you are a 'model' for this company and you basically are in the store and just look pretty. :) nah, just kidding.  seriously, we are the 'face' of the brand.  when the costumers walk in, they see us, we greet them, and if they need anything, we help them.  but here is the great thing-- as models, if we have a casting or a shoot, we are excused from our shift or from being tardy.  it's awesome! there are many other perks but those are just a few... oh, also... another one.. they do castings for the national campaign! so you just might see me on one of the bags... or the stores. ;) wishful thinking, huh? oh, and by the way... the company i'm working for? it's Abercrombie & Fitch.  so the point of me bringing that up is that a lot of the other "models" that i work with are working models.  when i say working models, i mean they are signed.  with an agency.  and i think that is awesome. great for them! but i've been there for a whole two days and i've met girls that are signed with msa, click, major, and mega models.  so- here's the point finally... they all tell me all these things they've done, but all through their agency.  however, me- without an agency.  and i'm no one to toot my own horn, but i'd say i've done pretty well for myself.  i've been in the city for 10 months now, and i've been published in glamour, now going for a second time coming in march (sorry for the spoiler alert!), i'll be published in raine magazine-also coming out in march,  i've been a part of new york fashion week, and a couple more things... all on my own.  it feels good.   which brings me to my next point, maria...maria... i had a film inspired shoot today for raine magazine in which i played maria from the west side story.  i cannot wait to see these pictures! it will be a 2 page spread in the magazine which will be coming out in march! (so everyone- go get it!) now, everyone i was working with was a legit profesh! me, i mean, i'm a professional but not signed, at all.  the photographer- amazeballs.  the dude i was shooting with.. also great.  the other female model who was playing annie hall, signed. i was the only unsigned model.  the feeling was kind of.. like, underdog? i guess you could say? but i did not mind one bit. you know why? because i am finally getting it.  i finally realize that i belong there just as much as anyone else.  and i am working too damn hard to not be in the place i deserve to be in.  and if it takes me hustling the same way i've been hustling to get these jobs and NOT an agency, hey... i'll do that too.  i'll do whatever it takes for me to succeed.  but i mean,  eventually i would like to be signed to a modeling agency, a top notch one preferably.  so i can not worry about the "hustling" and just do my job! ;)  that quote in the very beginning is from the daily email i receive from the daily love.  i actually got that one today (what a coincidence, huh?).  and i feel like it ties in with what i just spoke about.  honestly, we need to be able to be different to succeed.  if we keep doing what everyone has been doing for the last 25-50 years, i mean, we will get results, but wouldn't it be better if we shock people and change it up a little? give them something they haven't seen yet? i mean, i'm sure they are bored of seeing the same thing over and over again, right...?   ps. make sure to check out mastin & the daily love on twitter @thedailylove or www.thedailylove.com and sign up for their daily e-mails! so inspiring! :)